Spark-interrupter.



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SPARK ;NTERHUPTEB.

(Appliccion med oct. so, 1901.)

2 Sheng-sheet l.-

-(No Model.)y

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Pa'tented lan. 2|, 1,902.

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SPARK INTERBUPTER.

(Applicaton led Oct. 30, 1901.)

2 sheets-sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' pying a position adjacent to the contacts 4 lis a side elevation in section of one unit of UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THORSI'IEN VON ZWEIGBRGK,-OF PRESTON, ENGLAND.

SPARK-INTERRU PTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,693, datedvJanuary 21, 1902.

Application led October 30,1901.

To @ZZ whom, tm/qty concern:

Be it known that I, THoRsTN von ZWEIG- BERGK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Preston, in Lancashire, England, have invented a certain'n'ewand useful Improvement in Spark-Interrupters, of which the following is a full, clear,` and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings'. f l l The object of this invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and durable spark-interrupter or blow-outdevice for controllers, circuit-breakers, and the like which shall' require a very s mall amount of space. In accomplishin g this I provide a spark-interrnpter in which the sparkinay lcompletely encircle the device. This allows the interrupter to be placed directly in the sweep of the arc, ay space which has heretofore been additional to the blow-out device. My blow-.out device obviates the necessity of .insulating shields in the path of the arc and saves the wear to which they are subject. l The invention includes, broadly, a coil adapted to bein circuit, surrounded by a tube of non-magnetic conducting material, occuwhich produce the spark. The more particular arrangement of the blow-out, hereinafter described, is also of my invention.

The drawings clearly illustrate the invention.-

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of my spark-interrupter applied `to a controller. Fig. l2 is a vertical central section at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa horizontal section of a different arrangement vof my device applied to a controller, and Fig.

the same. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the blow-out device applied to a somewhat diierent forni of controller. Fig. 6 represents the blow-out'device'applied to a fuse and Fig. 7 to a lightning-arrester. Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partly sectional, of a moditied form of one of the blow-out unit-s.

Referring rst to Figs. l and 2, A represents a core, of iron, which is here shown as made of one continuous piece, having integral peripheral lianges a, which leave annular spaces or pockets between them. In these annular pockets are wound the coils B, conlbrass or copper.

' serial No. 80,502. (No man sisting of insulated Wire winding in one direction Iin one pocket and in the opposite direction inthe next, and so on, thewire passing from one pocket to .the next through av notch d/ in the head' a.. Suitable sheathing, of insulation C, preferably, additionally protects the coil from the core. Surrounding the series of coils and core is an insulatingtube D, and'around this tube, opposite the fheadd of 'the core, are insulating-rings E.

Between the adjace-ntrings E and surrounding the tube D are sleeves F, made of non-- magnetic conducting material, preferably vThe construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 differs yfrom *that'just described in that the core, there indicated by'A, is not continuous from one coil to the next, but terminates at the insulating-rings E E' and the insulatingsleeve'D is omitted, the brass sleeve F immediatelysurrounding the coil.

In all of these igures, G represents the segments and II the fingers of a controller or other device whose operation causes the spark. The coilB is in circuit and the current fiowing through it causes magnetic lines of force from outside the sleeve F toward it, so that `when a spark s is `caused by the separation of the contact-finger H from the segment Gr this spark is sucked toward the sleeve F. As the spark increases in length it separates, as indicated' by s', passing from the back of the contact-finger to the sleeve and from the sleeve to the edge of the segment, as shown by the dotted arrows in Fig. 3. The two porvtions of the spark are thus traveling rapidly in opposite directions, and the separation becomes Wider, so that the spark tends to eventually completely encircle the sleeve F without touching it, as indicated bythe line s3. The stretching of the arc through this long path blows it out. It will be seen what a large possible sweep is provided for the arc, and this provision is made without increasing the room required for the associateddevice, for the blow-out occupies the space which would otherwise be needed for the spark alone. It is thus particularly economical of room;

I regard the construction oi' a single core, as illustrated in Figs. l and 2, as the most satisfactory Way to construct the blow-out in practice; but as with this construction should IOO the arc in one section contact with the core it would interfere with the adjacent section, which is of opposite polarity, Wherefore it is necessary to insulate the brass sleeve F from the core. This insulation is not necessary where the cores are individual, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The insulation is there omitted and the insulating-disks E' extending clear across the end of the core. Of course if successive units, such as shown in Fig. 4, are applied one above the other and properly connected they may be operated with the same controller, as shownip Fig. l.

In Fig. 5 the construction and operation are essentially the same as that shown in Fig. 3, except that here the contact-finger Il receives the current from the finger H'via the segment G instead of the segment itself receiving it. The arcs s s s2 s3 tend to travel, as shown, and are blown out by being thus stretched.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the same blow-cutis shown as applied to the fuse J and to the lightningarrester points K K.

Fig. 8 represents one of the units having the coil B, the brass sleeve F, and the two insulating-heads E E', but omitting thccore altogether.

Sometimes it may be found to advantage to use the sleeve surrounding the blow-out coil as one of the electrodes.v The sleeve may either be in permanent connection with the contact-finger or contact-segment, or it may be used as a segment itself engaging with the contact-finger. This construction is, however, not as effective as when both electrodes are separated from the sleeve. In the iirst case the arc will have to travel single-handed around the whole circumference of the sleeve, while in the latter case the spark will as soon as it contacts with the sleeve become divided in two and each spark only travel half the circumference of the sleeve in order to encircle the coil and rupture the arc.

These various views shown and described are deemed sui'iieient to illustrate the modiiications which may be made of my device and the uses to which it lnay be put; but they are not to be considered as an enumeration of either of these.

I claim- 1. The combination with means adapted to cause an electric spark of a blow-out device consisting of a coil surrounded by an exposed non-magnetic cond noting-sleeve adapted to stand within the sweep of the arc of such spark.

2. A blow-out device consisting of a coil of insulated wire surrounded by a sleeve of nonlnagnetic metal. y

3. The combination with engageable and separable contacts adapted to establish an electric spark, of a blow-out device located in the sweep of the spark, and adapted to blow out the spark by giving it a tendency to encircle the blow-out device.

4. A blow-out device consisting of a coil of insulated conductor, a pair of insulations projeciing laterally adjacent to the opposite ends of the coil, and a sleeve of non-magnetic conducting material surrounding the coil, between such insulations.

5. A blow-out device composed of a series of units each unit having a coil surrounded by a metallic sleeve and there being laterallyprojectinginsulations between the units separating the sleeves.

6. In a blow-out device, in combination, a core having an annular recess about it, a coil occupying such recess, the core thus making confining-heads for the coils, lateral projections of insulation, adjacent to each head of the coil, and a non-magnetic metallic sleeve surrounding the coil between such insulations.

7. A blow-out device consisting of a magnetic core, an insulated coil surrounding the same,.an exposed metal shield surrounding the coil, the same adapted to be located within the sweep of the arc to be blown out.

8. A blow-out device having a magnetic core, with annular pockets around it, coils of electric conductor occupying said pockets, said coils winding in the opposite direction in successive pockets, and metal sleeves surrounding the coils and insulated from each other and from the core.

9. In a magnetic blow-out device, the coinbination of a magnetic core, having a series of annular recesses about it, a series of coils of electric conductor in the recesses of said core, the coils being connected but winding in opposite directions in successive pockets, the core forming the heads between such successive pockets, an insulating-sleeve surrounding the coils and core and engaging such heads, and separated metal sleeves one for each coil surrounding insulating-sleeve.

10. In a magnetic blow-out device, the combination of a central core, having annular pockets about it, the core forming heads between the pockets, coils occupying suchpockets, successive coils winding in opposite directions, openings through the heads of the core by which said coils are connected together, a tube su rrounding said core and coils, insulating projecting rings surrounding the head, and metallic non-magnetic sleeves surrounding the tube between the rings.

ll. A blow-out device composed of a series of units each unit having a coil surrounded by an exterior metallic sleeve and there being laterally-projecting insulations between the units separating the sleeves, combined with a controller having contact-fingers and segments whose engaging lines are adjacent to said sleeves and between the consecutive insulations, whereby the spark may go from the ngers and segments to said sleeve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

'lllORSTEN VON ZWEIGBERGK.

Vtfitnesses:

JOHN BLACK, ToM Woon.

IIO 

